ARCHIVE News

Saudi Arabia: 25 Hospitals with 5,000 Beds Readied in Holy Cities

Health Minister Khaled Al-Falih said 25 hospitals with a combined capacity of about 5,000 beds have been prepared for pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites. The minister chaired a meeting on Monday(August 17) of the Haj medical committee in Madinah and toured a number of hospitals there. Al-Falih said the ministry has deployed all its human and material resources to provide excellent medical services to pilgrims.\r\nThe health monitoring centers at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah have started receiving pilgrims coming to the Kingdom for Haj.

Seoul: Drivers who fail to make way for ambulances and fire trucks will be punished with increased fines of up to 70,000 won (US$58) as part of efforts to save more lives, the government said Tuesday (February 2).\r\nThe government recently revised transportation-related laws to make it mandatory for drivers to give way to emergency vehicles performing potentially life-saving activities, according to the revised Road Traffic Act which was approved at a cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae.

Saudi Arabia: New Haj Emergency Plan

RIYADH: Several government agencies gathered Tuesday (March 29) for a 2-day workshop to discuss a plan for emergencies this Haj season, including to deal with fire, rain, industrial, natural and man-made disasters. Discussions would include a focus on events that took place last year in Makkah and the holy sites, to learn lessons that can be incorporated into the new plan, according to Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Amr, director general of the Civil Defence in Madinah.

Manama: The Royal Medical Services has become the second accredited surgery training centre for Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness (DMEP) in the Middle East. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) granted the accreditation certificate to the Royal Medical Services in recognition of the competence and preparedness of the BDF Hospital to deal with potential outbreak of epidemics and diseases, in addition to climatic or environmental emergencies.